Spark-catcher for locomotives.



No. 724,863.. PATENTED APR. 7,1903.

" 0. H. HEYDEMANN.

SPARK OATGHER FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLIOA'ITION FILED APR. 18, 1902.

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No. 724,863. PATENTED APR, 7, 1903. 0. H. HBYDEMANN.

SPARK GATOHER FOR LOCOMOTIVES. APPLIOATIOH FILED APR. 1 8, 1902.

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' UNITED STATES? PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO HEINRICH HEYDEMANN, OF ROSTOCK, GERMANY,

SPARK-CATCHER FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 724,863, dated April 7, 190 3. Application filed April 18, 190% erial No. 103,511. (No model.)

To rtZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OTTO HEINRICH HEY- DEMANN, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at Schwaanerlandstrasse, Rostock, Grand Duchy of lVIecklenburg-Schwerin, German Empire, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Spark-Catchers for Locomotives, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates to a sparkcatcher for locomotives by means of which the generation of steam is considerably increased, so that there is no longer any need for reducing the opening of the damper, thereby increasing the draft and increasing the sparks.

The spark-catcher according to the present invention while permittinga maximum ofgeneration of steam at the same time affords far greater security against any dangerous'emission of sparks than those hitherto in use, because the openings of the spark-catcher measure five millimeters only and the bars forming the spark-catcher are movable and free to expand, so that they are not liable to warp or bend, thereby increasing the spaces between the bars beyond five millimeters; but any particles of cinders below this diameter which might pass through between the bars will ceaseto present any danger of fire before they reach the ground. The spark-catcher, moreover, affords security against its being choked up, because the various bars constituting it are inserted loosely in the framework.

Spark-catchers as at present constructed are either subject to the drawback that they do not prevent the emission of dangerous sparks, or else their usefor railway-work had to be discontinued, owing to insufficient generation of steam arising from the fact that if they retained the sparks carried away by the escaping steam they at the same time caused a very great friction and consequent obstruction to the current of products of combustion.

Spark-catchers which require special treatment on the part of the engine-driver and presuppose most exact knowledge on his part as to the places where danger of fire through emitted sparks exists cannot be largely applicable to railway-working.

The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings, wherein Figure l is an elevation of the spark-catcher; Fig. 2, a section in the line mm in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of a stay-plate. .Fig. 4 is a section on the line y y in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is one of the plates into which the spark-catcher bars are inserted.

As will be seen from the drawings, the spark catcher consists of a frame the front and back of which, a and a, are made boxfashion, having flat irons faced so as to fit accurately into channel-irons, or, in the case of a, riveted to it. The two sides I) and b of the frame consist of T-irons, the ribs of which serve for the insertion of the spark-catcher into guides arranged for this purpose in thesmoke-box. The frame itself is stayed in the center by a longitudinal bar 0, which is firmly riveted into the box a by means of the rivet-head d,

while in the opposite box a, at the back, this bar cis loosely inserted to allow for expansion. Atthe same time it serves as aguide or stay for the cross-bars e, for which purpose it is provided with slotsf, through which the flat crossbars e are passed. To prevent any displacement of the cross-bars e through expansion of the bar 0, the slots are made of progressively larger widths in the direction toward a. (See Fig. 3.) The fiat cross-bars e serve as guides or stays for the longitudinal sparkcatcher bars e g, and in order that in their "case also an unimpeded expansion may take place they are made correspondingly shorter than the frame and'are loosely inserted into sockets h in the T-irons, The channel-iron of the box a, as well as the flat ironj, accuratel y fitted into it, and the flat iron 70, riveted to the channel-iron of box a, are provided with slots for the reception of the longitudinal bars g, so that after the frame itself has been finished each bar can be inserted singly. I The protecting or retaining angle-irons Z, attached to the channel-irons, are fixed to them by screws m, so as to facilitate ready exchange of the bars 9. The bars g,which are two millimeters thick, are held fast in the box a by two bolts n, while in the box ct and in the cross-bars 6 they are loosely held or guided. They are made shorter than the frame to allow for expansion.

There is no fear of the rods sticking fast through rusting or otherwise, because they will be constantly shifting in their seats, ac

cording to the variations of their length on any considerable change of temperature in the smoke-box.

As will be seen from the drawings, the bars g are arranged in double rows, so that an interval of ten millimeters is left between the single bars in each row. Each bar in the first row is placed exactly opposite the center of the corresponding interval in the second row, and so as to project into this interval to the extent of two millimeters, so that a clear passage of about five millimeters only is left. Owing to the fact that the interval between the bars in each row is ten millimeters, the combustion-gases, being restricted to a narrower space within an extent of two millimeters only while before and after this they can pass almost unobstru'ctedly, are afiorded the largest possible amount of free passage.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. In a spark-arrester, the combination of a frame, a row of fiat bars set edgewise to the direction of draft, a number of supporting bars running at right angles to the said row of bars and having openings through which the latter pass, and a brace, as 0, having openings through which the supporting-bars pass, said openings being larger in succession from one end of the brace to the other and the brace being secured to the frame at the end adjacent to its smallest opening, substan tially as described.

2. In a spark-arrester, a rectangular frame, two opposite sides of which are formed by box-like members, in combination with bars set edgewise to the direction of draft and en tering the box-like frame at each end, and a bolt extending along the frame at one end and passing through all of the bars, the other ends of said bars being free.

In witness whereof I have subscribed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OTTO HEINRICH HEYDEMANN.

Witnesses:

CARL .SCHEINBERGER, E. H. L. MUMMENHOFF.- 

